Early Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Spike Mutants Are Diversified in Virologic Properties but Elicit Compromised Antibody Responses.

ABSTRACT: Despite the effective antivirals and vaccines, COVID-19 remains a public health concern. The mutations that occurred during the early stage of the pandemic can be valuable in assessing the viral fitness and evolutionary trajectory. In this study, we analyzed a panel of 2969 spike sequences deposited in GISAID before April 2020 and characterized nine representative spike single-point mutants in detail. Compared with the WA01/2020, most (8 out of 9) mutants demonstrated an equivalent or diminished protein expression or processing, pseudovirus infectivity, and cell-cell fusion. Interestingly, most of the mutants in native form elicited minimum antibody responses in mice despite unaltered CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. The mutants remained sensitive to the antisera and the type I interferon.

SUBMITTER: Fan J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10747620 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature